Machine for operating on shoes



July 13, 1943. v c e. B ROSTROM MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHOES Filed April '7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l A/VE/VTURZ July 13, 1943. c. G. BROSTROM MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHOES 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Filed April '7, 1941 Patented July 13, 1943 MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHOES Charles G. Brostrom, Salem, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 7, 1941, Serial No. 387,167

ll. Claims.

This invention relates to machines for operating on shoes and is herein illustrated and described as embodied in a channel-laying machine of the type disclose in United States Letters Patent Nos. 2,987,241 and 2,178,556, granted July 20, 1937, and November 7, 1939, on applications in the names of Darius W. Bunker and Charles G. Brostrom, respectively. While the machine disclosed herein is intended primarily for laying the channel lips of lasted shoes having outsoles attached thereto, it may be used also for the various other purposes mentioned in those patents. The operating tool of the illustrated machine, like the operating tools of the machines disclosed in the above-mentioned patents, consists of an endless fiexible belt having metal wiping members upon its work-engaging surface. This belt in the Bunker machine, when engaged by a work piece at a locality between the supporting pulleys, is obliged to sustain the pressure of the Work by its own tension. The machine disclosed in the patent to Bros'trom is provided with a flexible chain for supporting the channel-laying belt at the locality of operation to relieve this tension. However, in both of the patented machines the channel-laying belt is driven at a locality remote from that at which the operation is performed. and a certain degree of tension is therefore created in the belt the drag of the work operating against the pull of the driving means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine of the type under consideration having means for eliminating undesira.le tension in the channel-laying belt, thereby prolonging the life of the belt. In accordance with this object, the illustrated machine is provided with a driven flexible member engageable' with the channellaying belt to drive that belt and also to support it against the pressure of the work. This supporting member in the illustrated machine consists also of a flexible endless belt and it is made of suifici'ently tough and heavy material to sustain not only pressure of the work but also the driving tension, thereby relieving the channellaying belt of all strain resulting from those forces. The supporting belt'is relatively cheap. as compared with the channel-laying belt, and the expense of renewing the supporting belt is therefore important. While no appreciable tension in the channeldaying belt is necessary. the illustrated machine is provided with a weak spring-pressed idler tensioning pulley engageabie With the channel-laying belt to take up any undesirable slackness. In order to prevent the tension of the sup-porting belt from becoming excessive, the illustrated machine is further provided with a spring-pressed idler pulley for limiting such tension.

These and other features of the invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the operating instrumentalities shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the channellaying belt operating to lay a channel lip; and

Fig. 4 is a View in side elevation of the operating portion of the machine, showing a modified arrangement.

The supporting structure of the machine consists of a frame or standard Hi (Fig. 1), adapted to rest upon the floor and carrying a head l2 in which are formed bearings for a shaft i A pulley 16 on the shaft id is driven by a belt Hi from any suitable source of power in a counter-- clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1. Formed upon the head i2 and concentric with the shaft 54 is a bearing for a bracket 20, a pair of clamping bolts 22 extending through an arcuate slot 23 in the head I2 and through a corresponding arcuate slot 2:. in the bracket 20 to maintain the bracket in any desired position of angular adjustment about the axis of the shaft l4. Slidably mounted on the bracket 20 for radial movement relative to the shaft I4 is an arm 26. A pair of clamping bolts 28 extending through holes in the bracket 20 and through a slot 29 in the arm 26 maintain the arm 26 in any desired position of radial adjustment upon the bracket 2%. Upon the outer end of the arm 26 is mounted a bracket 36 (see also Fig. 2) An arcuate slot 32, formed in the bracket 38 and engageable with two clamping bolts 34 extending through holes in the arm 26, provides for an adjustment of the angular position of the bracket 35]. A channel-laying belt 36 having metal wipers 31' upon its operating face is supported upon the bracket 38 by instrumentalities presently to be described. Adjustment of the height of the operating portion of this belt is afiected by the above-mentioned angular adjustment of the arm 26, while the inclination of the operating portion of the channellaying belt may be adjusted through the angular adjustment of the bracket 33. All of the parts so far described, excepting the bracket 33, are substantially like the corresponding parts disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent No. 2,087,241, to which reference may be had for a more complete understanding of the same.

The bracket 3% is in the form of a generally fiat plate, the various portions of which are stepped to greater or less thickness or offset for considerations of good design. The bracket 30 also comprises a pair of fiat plates 49 and 42 extending in opposite directions from a common locality 33 (Fig. 1). The unattached end portions of the plates 4-9 and 42 are offset from and paralle1 to the main portion of the bracket 39. The plates 49 and 42 may conveniently be integral with the bracket 39 or they may be welded or otherwise secured to the bracket 39 at the locality 38. Between the main portion of the bracket 3% and the offset plate 49 is mounted a supporting pulley 44 having a spindle 46 journaled in the bracket and in the plate. Between the main portion of the bracket 30 and the offset plate 42 is a supporting pulley 48 having a spindle 50 which is journaled in the bracket and also in the plate. Looped about the pulleys 44 and 48 is a supporting belt 52 of tough rubberized fabric. An idler tensioning pulley 54 also engages the belt 52. The pulley 54 is mounted in a lever 55 which is fulcrumed upon a pin 58 carried by an extension 60 of the plate 40. Secured to the free end of the lever 56 is one end of a tension spring 62, the opposite end of this spring being anchored in an eye bolt 64 which passes loosely through a pin 68 mounted in the bracket 39. A wing nut threaded upon the end of the eye bolt 64 provides for adjustment of the tension of the spring 52 and thereby oi the tension which the pulley 54 imparts to the supporting belt 52. The channel-laying belt 36 overlies the supporting belt at the locality where the supporting belt engages the pulleys 44 and 48.

The bracket 39 extends rearwardly from the pulleys 44 and 48 toward the head [2, and is arranged to leave the forward run of the channel laying belt and also of the supporting belt be tween the pulleys unobstructed for application of the work. The channel-laying belt 36 is considerably longer than the supporting belt 52 and is looped about an idler tensioning pulley (2 at a locality rearward of the pulleys 44 and 48 and removed from the supporting belt. The pulley '52, which takes up any undesirable slackness in the belt 36, is mounted upon a lever 14 which is fulcrumed upon the pin 68. To the opposite end of the lever Z4 is connected one end of a weak tension spring IS, the opposite end of this spring being anchored in an eye bolt 18 which passes loosely through a lug 86 extending from the bracket 39. A nut 82 threaded upon the end of an eye bolt l8 provides for adjustment of the tension of the spring 16.

For driving the belts above-mentioned, there is provided a sprocket wheel 84 secured upon the shaft 52. The sprocket wheel 84 is driven by a chain 85 from a sprocket wheel 88 on the main shaft I l.

The operation of the channel-laying belt 35 upon a shoe S having a channel lip L is illustrated in Fig. 3 with the belt running in the direction indicated by the arrow. This operation is performed at the locality between the pulleys 44 and 48 or at times at the locality where the belts are directly supported by the pulleys. This locality of operation may be adjusted to a desired height by swinging the arm 25 about the shaft l4 and then securing it by means of the bolts 22. The inclination of the (mannay g belt 36 at the locality of operation is adjusted by swinging the bracket 30 to the desired angular position and thereby tightening the bolts 34. The radial adjustment of the arm 26 on the bracket 29 conveniently provides for adjusting the tension of the chain 86 after the adjustment for inclination has been made. After these adjustments have been made, the operator holds the shoe S in the position shown in Fig.3 to enable the moving belt 36 to lay the lip L. The pressure of the shoe against the belt 36 is sustained by the supporting belt 52 without increasing the tension of the belt 36. This tension in the supporting belt 52 is adjustably limited by the tensioning pulley 12. If the operator should momentarily desire a greater pressure than is afiorded by the supporting belt 52, he need only shift the locality of operation to a point at which both belts are supported by one of the pulleys 44 and 48, but in general it is more satisfactory to operate at a locality between the pulleys. The tension in the channellaying belt 36 is only sufficient to prevent undue slackness and is controlled by the tensioning pulley 54. Any desired tension may be obtained, however, by the choice of a suitable spring I6 and by adjustment of the nut 82.

A modified form of machine is shown in Fig. 4. The purpose of this modification is to provide an arrangement wherein the channel-laying belt 36 is enabled to enter such concavities as are sometimes presented in shoe bottoms. For example, Fig. 4 shows a shoe S having an outsole 90, a resilient stiffening member 92, a filler piece 94, a collapsible member 95, an insole 96 and a welt 98. The outsole 90 has been channeled and stitched to the welt 98 leaving a lip L still upstanding. The section shown in Fig. 4 is taken at the shank. For a more complete disclosure of a shoe of this type reference may be had to United States Letters Patent No. 1,920,383, granted August 1, 1933, upon the application of John B. Hadaway, with particular reference to Fig. 8 of that patent which shows the condition of the shoe after the laying of the channel lip and before a leveling operation which flattens the collapsible member and causes the outsole to assume a normal contour. A similar condition occurs in the shoe disclosed in United States Letters Patent, No. 2,301,311, granted November 10, 1942, in the name of George A. Miner. In the shoe disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,746,010, granted February 4, 1930, in the name of William 3 H. Nickerson, the concavity in the shank portion of the shoe bottom is a permanent feature of construction. It is evident that the concavities presented by shoes of these types may render it difiicult for ordinary channel-laying devices to exert pressure upon the channel lip, and particularly across the full width of the lip.

In order to overcome this difficulty, the modifled arrangement consists in the provision of a supporting belt I00 which is in all respects similar to the supporting belt 52 except that the supporting belt I09 is provided with abutments I02 spaced from each other over the full length of the belt and adapted to bear against the channel-laying belt 36 and thereby to hold the latter spaced from the supporting belt. Each of these abutments, in the construction shown in Fig. 4 consists of a piece of leather I04 secured by stitching I95 to the belt I00, and a piece of leather I98 cemented to the piece I04. Both pieces of lether extend across the full width of the belt; two are necessary merely because it is usually impossible to obtain the desired thickness from a single piece. If desired, the belt H30 may be molded and vulcanized to provide integral abutments.

The operation of this modification will be apparent from the above description. It is evident that the channel-laying belt 36 under pressure of the work will assume a convex position over each of the abutments I02, thereby enabling it to enter such concavities as may be presented by the sole 90 each time one of the abutments I02 comes into the locality of operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A channel-laying machine comprising a flexible tool engageable with a channel lip to lay the lip, a flexible backing member engageable with said tool to drive the tool and to support the tool against the pressure of the work, and a pair of pulleys for supporting said backing member, one of said pulleys being constructed and arranged to drive the backing member.

2. A channel-laying machine comprising an endless flexible tool engageable with a channel lip to lay the lip, an endless flexible backing member engageable with said tool to drive the tool and to support the tool against the pressure of the work, and a plurality of pulleys for supporting said backing member, one of said pulleys being constructed and arranged to drive said backing member, and one of said pulleys being constructed and arranged to yield under a predetermined pressure for the purpose of preventing excessive pressure between the Work and the channel-laying tool.

3. A channel-laying machine comprising a belt engageable with a channel lip to lay the lip, and a driven belt backing the channel-laying belt to drive the channel-laying belt and to support the channel-laying belt against the pressure of the work.

4. A channel-laying machine comprising a belt engageable with a channel lip to lay the lip, a driven belt backing the channel-laying belt to drive the channel-laying belt and to support the channel-laying belt against the pressure of the work, yieldable means for taking up slack in the channel-laying belt, and yieldable means for limiting the tension of the backing belt.

5. A channel-laying machine comprising a driven channel-laying belt, an adjustable support for said belt, a lever fulcrumed on said support, an idler pulley carried by said lever and engageable with said belt, and a spring acting upon said lever to cause said idler pulley to control the tension of said belt.

6. A channel-laying machine comprising a belt engageable with a channel lip to lay the lip, a belt backing the channel-laying belt to drive the channel-laying belt and to support the channel laying belt against the pressure of the work, a plurality of pulleys for supporting said backing belt, means for driving one of said pulleys to transmit drive to the driving belt and thence to the channel-laying belt, and a yieldable idler pulley for limiting the tension of the backing belt.

'7. A channel-laying machine comprising a belt engageable with a channel lip -to lay the lip, a driven belt backing said channel-laying belt to support and drive the channel-laying belt, a pair of pulley for supporting said backing belt, and a carrier for said pulleys constructed and arranged for tilting adpustment to vary the inclination of a run of the channel-laying belt between said pulleys.

8. A channel-laying machine comprising a belt engageable with a channel lip to lay the lip, a driven belt backing said channel-laying belt to support and drive the channel-laying belt, a pair of pulleys for supporting said backing belt, a carrier for said pulleys constructed and arranged for tilting adjustment to vary the inclination of a run of the channel-laying belt between said pulleys, a lever iulcrumed on said carrier, a tensioning pulley on said lever engageable with said backing belt, and a spring acting upon said lever to cause said tensioning pulley to tension said backing belt.

9*. A channel-laying machine comprising a belt engageable with a channel lip to lay the lip, a driven belt backing said channel-laying belt to support and drive the channel-laying belt, a pair of pulleys for supporting said backing belt, a carrier for said pulleys constructed and arranged for tilting adjustment to vary the inclination of a run of the channel-laying belt between said pulleys, a lever fulcrumed on said carrier, a tensioning pulley on said lever engageable with said channel-laying belt, and a spring acting upon said lever to cause said tensioning pulley to take up slack in said channel-laying belt.

10. A channel-laying machine comprising a belt engageable with a channel lip to lay the lip, a belt backing said channel-laying belt to support and drive the channel-laying belt, a pair of pulleys for supporting said backing belt, a carrier for said pulleys constructed and arranged for tilting adjustment to vary the inclination of a run of the channel-laying belt between said pulleys, a sprocket wheel coaxial with and operatively connected to one of said pulleys for driving the backing belt through that pulley, a frame, a sprocket wheel journaled in said frame, a sprocket chain between said sprocket wheels, means for adjustably securing said carrier to said frame in a position to take up lack in the sprocket chain after the carrier has been adjusted for inclination, and means for driving the sprocket wheel journaled in the frame.

11. A channel-laying machine comprising a belt engageable with a channel lip to lay the lip, a belt backing said channel-laying belt to support and drive the channel-laying belt, a pair of pulleys for supporting said backing belt, means for driving said backing belt, and spacer members carried by one of said belts and interposed betmeen said belts, said channel-laying belt thus being permitted to flex toward said backing belt between said spacer members, and said spacer members serving to urge the channel-laying belt into the concavities which are sometimes present in the portions of the shoe bottoms to be treated.

CHARLES G. BROSTROM. 

